More AUT students 'Match Ready' for internships
Expert industry speakers provided AUT students with insights at the latest Match Ready Employability Workshop. From Left: Solange Francois (Auckland International Airport), Matt Monk (Kea), Chloe Hedley (Panuku Development Auckland), Jason Nockels (Mighway / Tourism Holdings Ltd), Liz Muliaga (Auckland Council).
Last weekend, AUT Internz hosted the eighth Match Ready Employability Workshop, at the City Campus, bringing the total of AUT students who have been through these bespoke work-readiness workshops to more than 1,000.
The latest workshop was for students interested in getting a summer (or any) internship or graduate role, mostly in the area of communications, marketing, events, tourism and related study areas. Around 120 students from across the university (both post graduate and undergraduate) attended, and heard from a range of AUT and industry speakers who all shared ‘bite sized’ information on how to get ready and prepared to apply for and hopefully get an internship.
The event was opened by Professor Roger Marshall from AUT Business Economics and Law, who talked about ‘you as a brand’, to set the tone of the day.
Speakers included experts from AUT Employability and Careers (Emma Spires, Kylie Robinson) AUT Brand (Amanda Jeffs) and AUT Internz (Rachel Cleary and Caroline Trevallion).
One recurring theme of the day were that to be prepared, students must thoroughly research the company they are applying for. AUT Director of Special Initiatives and event organiser Robert Bruce said research means more than a cursory glance of a company website before an interview. “You should ‘deep dive’ into their social media, recruitment websites, LinkedIn groups, and even physically visit the employers place of work if you want to know what it is like. Reading news articles, directors statements, and annual reports will help you know the culture and key people of the organisation before applying - and your interview will be impressed”
The ‘being memorable session’ was delivered by Sally Spencer-Harris, founder of Studio111 which is one of the leading performance and acting companies in New Zealand. Sally still trains actors but also now helps CEOs and executives ‘transform their life by transforming their thinking’. She inspired AUT students about confidence, energy, making great first impressions and how to hold space when meeting potential employers in networking settings.
The panel included industry professionals from Auckland International Airport, Panuku Development Auckland (ex Waterfront Auckland), Auckland Council, Kea, Aspire2, and Tourism Holdings. Each speaker shared different insights about what it means to be ‘ready’.
Employability tips included that you need to ‘know the tools’ of your job, before applying. Matt Monk, Communications Director from Kea said when applying for most marketing jobs, students should be able to talk confidently about business tools like ‘CRM’.
Jason Nockels, founder of Mighway (a fast-growth division of Tourism Holdings Ltd) said having great social media you are proud of is important, so you must control what people see. He said “I will stalk you online, I want to get a sense your personality – are you reliable? Are you fun? That really matters to us”,
Match Ready events are free of charge for AUT students and are an initiative of the AUT Internz programme. Jessica Willemse, a 2017 AUT Internz scholarship, had recently returned from Facebook Creative Shoppe New York City and spoke on the day. She said ‘you just have to apply’ because she was amazed when she landed her dream role at Facebook after applying via the Internz website. Jessica used her time in the ‘Big Apple’ to network and attend many events, and she said the experience has spring-boarded her career back in New Zealand.
Students are encouraged to apply for the many international and local roles that are listed at Internz.aut.ac.nz. It is quick and easy to apply, students just need to log in and register a profile. The sooner students register, the sooner the Internz team can give feedback on their profile (if improvements are needed) then they can apply for roles, or be headhunted by employers using the ‘shoulder tap’ functionality.
Employers are encouraged to list internship roles on the site, any time they need extra talent in their team.
Contact Robert Bruce for more information about Match Ready events.